A holiday guide to Devon + Family holidays | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/series/holiday-guide-to-devon+familyholidays
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Top 10 family days out in north Devonhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/10-best-family-days-out-north-devon
With wide beaches, high moors and even a rugged island, family days out in north Devon don't have to mean splashing the cash on theme parks<br /><br /><strong>• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/may/30/top-10-family-days-out-south-devon ">10 great days out in south Devon</a></strong><br /><strong>• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/interactive/2012/may/30/devon-holiday-guide-interactive">As featured in our holiday guide to Devon</a></strong><p>There's no need to bike all 30 miles of this traffic-free route through the backdrop to Henry Williamson's classic story; many families just plump for the six miles from Braunton to Barnstaple. Along this flat section you can Tarka-hunt along the banks of the Taw, spot wildfowl on the mudflats and keep interest piqued with gems from the downloadable audio guide (<a href="http://www.northdevonbiosphere.org.uk" title="">northdevonbiosphere.org.uk</a>). Take a picnic or try the <a href="http://www.bostonteaparty.co.uk/cafe/barnstaple" title="">Boston Tea Party</a> cafe in Barnstaple, with ethical cuisine, lashings of tea and cake, and excellent-value kids' fare. <br /><em>• </em><a href="http://www.devon.gov.uk/tarkatrail" title=""><em>devon.gov.uk/tarkatrail</em></a><em>. The route is signposted from the tourist information centre in Braunton; rent bikes from Otter Cycle Hire (01271 813339) close to the start of the trail in Braunton</em></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/10-best-family-days-out-north-devon">Continue reading...</a>DevonUnited KingdomFamily holidaysDay tripsTop 10sShort breaksWeekend breaksTravelBeach holidaysEnglandWed, 30 May 2012 15:04:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/10-best-family-days-out-north-devonSusanna Bennett/AlamyPhotograph: Susanna Bennett/AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyTony Gale/AlamyPhotograph: Tony Gale/AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyMark PassmorePhotograph: Mark PassmoreAlamyPhotograph: AlamyAlamyYoung cyclists on Devon's Tarka Trail national cycle route. Photograph: AlamyTony Gale/AlamyWoolacombe beach, Devon Photograph: Tony Gale/AlamyHayley Spurway2012-05-30T15:04:00Z10 of the best family campsites in Devonhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/top-10-family-campsites-devon
These 10 great sites, most of which feature in <a href="http://coolcamping.co.uk/book/cool-camping-kids-2" title="">Cool Camping: Kids</a>, range from a yurt on the edge of Dartmoor to no-frills camping on a farm with staggering views over Bigbury bay<br /><br />• <strong><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/interactive/2012/may/30/devon-holiday-guide-interactive">As featured in our holiday guide to Devon</a></strong><p>A Cool Camping favourite, Caffyns Farm is a relaxed, rule-free, pitch-wherever-you-fancy site. A campfire culture is encouraged and made even more magical as you're surrounded by expansive countryside and views out over the Bristol Channel. Campers are free to wander over any of the 150 acres of farmland, which is some of the flattest in this undulating area of Exmoor – all the better for pitching. It's an irresistible spot for kids who are hooked on riding and beach days, too, with pony trekking right from the farm's own stables and walks down to the stunning beach down at Lee Bay. <br /><em>•</em> <em>01598 753967, </em><a href="http://www.doonevalleyholidays.co.uk/index.html" title=""><em>doonevalleyholidays.co.uk</em></a><em>. Adults &pound;5, children &pound;3.50, under-5s free. Open all year</em></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/top-10-family-campsites-devon">Continue reading...</a>DevonTravelCampingTop 10sFamily holidaysBeach holidaysShort breaksWildlife holidaysEnglandWed, 30 May 2012 13:22:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/top-10-family-campsites-devonprprprprprAlamyPhotograph: AlamyprprCool CampingCaffyns Farm at Lynton has views out across the Bristol Channel. Photograph: Cool CampingCool CampingCaffyns Farm, Lynton, Devon Photograph: Cool CampingCool Camping and Guardian writers2012-05-30T13:22:00ZTop 10 family days out in south Devonhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/top-10-family-days-out-south-devon
Drive a digger, ride on a steam train, go wild on Dartmoor or hit the beach – south Devon has some brilliant days out for families <br /><br /><strong>• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/may/30/10-best-family-days-out-north-devon ">10 great days out in north Devon</a></strong><br /><strong>• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/interactive/2012/may/30/devon-holiday-guide-interactive">As featured in our Devon holiday guide</a></strong><p>You can see seals, seahorses and octopuses at <a href="http://www.livingcoasts.org.uk" title="">Torquay's Living Coasts</a>, but the sea life exhibits at this brilliant coastal zoo pale in comparison to those at Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium. This is the UK's largest aquarium and introduces you to all sorts of species that inhabit the seas from Plymouth Sound to the tropics. Anemones, hermit crabs, sharks, turtles and jellyfish take children deep into the world of Nemo, and the 3D underwater film is worth splashing out an extra &pound;2.50 to view. Combine the trip with a stroll along some of the <a href="http://www.southwestcoastpath.com/walksdb/13" title="">Plymouth Waterfront Walkway</a> –&nbsp;an easygoing section of the South West Coast Path where you can gawp at the giant scallop sculpture, marvel at Brunel's four-foot spanner and ponder quotations from Sherlock Holmes. <br />• <em>0844 893 7938, </em><a href="http://www.national-aquarium.co.uk" title=""><em>national-aquarium.co.uk</em></a><em>. Open daily, adults &pound;11.75, children (5-15) &pound;7.75, family &pound;33, admission includes free entry for a year</em></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/top-10-family-days-out-south-devon">Continue reading...</a>DevonFamily holidaysUnited KingdomEuropeTravelActivities for childrenLife and styleShort breaksDay tripsTop 10sEnglandWed, 30 May 2012 11:04:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/may/30/top-10-family-days-out-south-devonAlamyPhotograph: AlamyPeter Titmuss/AlamyPhotograph: Peter Titmuss/AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyJohn Sturrock/AlamyPhotograph: John Sturrock/AlamyPRAlamyPhotograph: AlamyJim Wileman/AlamyPhotograph: Jim Wileman/AlamyAlamyPhotograph: AlamyAlamyThe UK's largest aquarium is in Plymouth, south Devon. Photograph: AlamyAlamyNational Marine Aquarium in Plymouth Photograph: AlamyHayley Spurway2012-05-30T11:04:00ZHotel review: South Sands, Salcombe, Devonhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jul/15/hotel-devon-salcombe-beach-south-sands
This Devon beachfront beauty is the epitome of good taste – with clean lines, muted blues and greys, and a two-bath wetroom<p>Is it just that I haven't noticed them or do we, an island nation, have virtually no hotels on the beach? I mean right on the beach – like in the Caribbean? It is only as I descend the hill to South Sands bay, passing one hotel on my right, that I realise mine, the only other one here, beside an old lifeboat house, really is beachfront.</p><p>This 24-room newly built boutique hotel opened last year. Everything about it looks glossy and expensive – from its website to the brochures – yet it has no star grading. It is one of the modern wave (inevitable pun) of hotels which thumb their noses at both the AA's and Visit Britain's star-rating schemes. Perhaps it can afford to, with such a position – not only is the hotel on a wonderful sandy bay but the population of the nearest town, Salcombe, swells from 2,000 in winter to almost 10 times that in summer.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jul/15/hotel-devon-salcombe-beach-south-sands">Continue reading...</a>DevonHotelsFamily holidaysBeach holidaysShort breaksUnited KingdomTravelEnglandFri, 15 Jul 2011 21:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jul/15/hotel-devon-salcombe-beach-south-sandsPRSouth Sands bayPRPrivileged position … South Sands hotel, Salcombe, DevonPRPrivileged position … South Sands hotel, SalcombeSally Shalam2011-07-15T21:30:00ZSelf-catering review: Slattenslade Cottage, Parracombe, Devonhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jun/11/devon-self-catering-eco-home
An eco-home in Exmoor national park, near the north Devon coast, has a fab location, but there's no excuse for cheap bedding and small sofas<p>We can't arrive at our weekend bolthole before 3pm, which is all the excuse our group of friends needs to meet over a pub lunch. We leave in convoy, snaking up a ridiculous hill – not a route for the faint-hearted – before disappearing down another wooded lane in the direction of Lynton, spotting the homemade sign for Slattenslade.</p><p>This eco-home is the first new house in Exmoor national park for many years. Co-owner Harriet Wilson is waiting to show us around. Her other half, John Hughes, built it using reclaimed Delabole slate on the roof, and cladding the walls in reclaimed stone set in lime mortar.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jun/11/devon-self-catering-eco-home">Continue reading...</a>DevonSelf-cateringGreen travelFamily holidaysBeach holidaysTravelEnglandFri, 10 Jun 2011 23:28:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jun/11/devon-self-catering-eco-homePRDevon above ... the "garden" at Slattenslade Cottage is a series of decked terraces with a water featurePRThe "garden" at Slattenslade Cottage is a series of decked terraces with a water feature.Sally Shalam2011-06-10T23:28:00ZAccommodation review | The Quarry, Ilfracombe, Devonhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/aug/07/quarry-ilfracombe-devon-self-catering
It was built for an admiral but this big old Devon house now has a modern feel, and is perfect for large groups and families<p>It always seems to me that Ilfracombe is the one that got away, the seaside resort that never quite scrubs up as well as it might. It has great credentials, laid out as it is across a series of hills, a margin of urbanisation between cliff and field. A privately owned beach, the Tunnels, offers black sand and rock pools for children to dabble in and a big friendly cafe selling picnic lunch boxes. Then there is the harbour, easy access to a string of sandy bays and the boat to Lundy island.</p><p>Damien Hirst opened his cafe-restaurant, <a href="http://www.11thequay.co.uk" title="">11 The Quay</a>, in 2004, but six years on, there are only a handful of boutique-y arrivals. Its beautiful Victorian villas are juxtaposed with curvaceous, rundown 1930s facades.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/aug/07/quarry-ilfracombe-devon-self-catering">Continue reading...</a>DevonSelf-cateringFamily holidaysBeach holidaysHotelsShort breaksUnited KingdomWeekend breaksTravelEnglandFri, 06 Aug 2010 23:05:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/aug/07/quarry-ilfracombe-devon-self-cateringPRReclaimed wood in the dining room at The QuarryPRReclaimed wood in the dining room at The Quarry.Sally Shalam2010-08-06T23:05:18ZHotel review: The Elmfield Hotel, Devonhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/may/09/elmfield-hotel-devon-uk
This family-friendly Devon hotel is still a work in progress, but <strong>Sally Shalam</strong> is won over by its relaxed welcome<p>A hotel website is a vital marketing tool. The Elmfield's does a convincing job - fresh design, easy to use, owner's blog. Lively shots of parents and kids, too. Most hotel photography is devoid of human life, as though an outbreak of legionnaires' disease had caused all public areas to be abandoned. </p><p>This 10-bedroom hotel has a pool, restaurant, and professes to be family-friendly and contemporary. The rates are cheering. A family suite, of two adjoining bedrooms, costs &pound;140 a night, that's &pound;35 per person for a family of four. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/may/09/elmfield-hotel-devon-uk">Continue reading...</a>DevonHotelsUnited KingdomFamily holidaysTravelShort breaksWeekend breaksLuxury travelEnglandFri, 08 May 2009 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/may/09/elmfield-hotel-devon-ukPRElmfield Hotel, Devon ... 'reupholstered chairs, new curtains, cushions and good cotton bed linen brighten up enormous rooms ...'PRElmfield Hotel, Devon Photograph: PRSally Shalam2009-05-08T23:01:00Z